Antonín Petrof
Antonín Petrof | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 9 September 1915 Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary | (aged 76)
Occupation | piano maker |
Known for | A. Petrof / Petrof Pianos |
Antonín Petrof (15 August 1839 – 9 September 1915) was a Czech entrepreneur and piano maker.
Biography
In 1857, when Petrof was 18 years old, he was visited by his maternal uncle Jan Heitzmann at his family's Hradec Králové home. Heitzmann and his partner Hölzl were already recognized piano manufacturers in [Vienna]. Petrof learned the trade in Vienna and in 1864 returned to Bohemia, where he built his first piano. In 1865 he transformed his father's cabinetry enterprise in the old town square, behind the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit,[1] into a piano-making workshop.
In 1866, a few months before the enveloping Battle of Königgrätz, Petrof registered his company, A. Petrof. After a brief compulsory interruption, during which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire, production resumed. In 1874 his company relocated to new premises on the outskirts of Hradec Králové.
The company grew, and in 1880 an auxiliary factory opened in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (today Timișoara, Romania). A year later, in 1881, Petrof premiered his own keyboard and mechanical design. In 1883, production of the piano began.
In 1894–95 the first instruments were exported, and A. Petrof was quickly able to establish itself. A warehouse and Comptoir were opened in Vienna. Clients included the nobility and the imperial court. By the early 20th century, A. Petrof was the largest piano manufacturer in the monarchy.[2]
By the time of Petrof's 1915 death, the company was supplying living rooms, concert halls and royal families across Europe. Its 30,000th piano had been delivered to
In 2008 the company began making luxury furniture, using the same skills and techniques used to build grand pianos, in an effort to branch out and dodge ingravescent effects of the
References
- ^ a b Marchal, J., "Luxury piano maker Petrof turns to furniture in global economic crisis", The Daily Telegraph, 3 March 2009.
- ^ Veselinovic, M., "Piano-makers: Major challenges, minor successes", The Economist, 7 December 2013.
- ^ Bauerova, L. M., "Czech Piano Maker Petrof Focuses on China Sales to Survive", Bloomberg, 20 September 2013.
- ^ Anon., Czech Music (Prague: Czech Music Foundation, 2006), p. 20.
- ^ Siek, S., A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), pp. 154–155.
- ^ Bundesverband Klavier e.V. , "History: 1915", 2017.
External links
- History of the Petrof brand on the official website of the Petrof company
- Zuzana Ceralová Petrofová touring the Petrof factory on YouTube, 1 July 2014 (in Czech)